A&P Fastfibre vs Equivite.

[DTV]

Good morning.First post on the forum tho' i've used it as a guest for some time and always found it useful and informative.I'm looking for advice on a feeding issue.My 21 year old TB gelding has never done that well over winter,worse than usual over the one just gone.He had his six month dental visit at the end of March and it appears he has lost more of the few teeth he had left which explains a lot.He's been on Mollichaff original,Baileys no 4,sugar beet with a reduced daily dose of 25g Equivite original(to offset the additional vitamins in the Baileys).After a long discussion with his dentist we thought a change from the Molli to a soakable fibre cube would be of benefit and i chose Allen and Page Fastfibre.On reading the ingredients it would appear to provide all additional vitamins and minerals in comparable amounts to the Equivite with one important ommision-Lysine.Equivite provides 1g per 50g daily dose whereas Fastfibre only contains trace elements according to A&P.My question is,do i continue with the Equivite to provide the important Lysine supplement?,is there a possibility of an 'overdose' of the other elements if i do?,or do i cut the Equivite out and look for a Lysine supplement instead.(if such a thing exists).Or am i worrying unduly.Observations and advice gratefully received.Regards,DTV.

 

[joeanne]

http://www.animalmedicationdirect.c...upplement-for-horses-naf-1kg-3kg-pr-3884.html
Although I would check with a vet first to be sure you are not going to do more harm than good.

 

[DTV]

Thanks for the link,will be chatting to my vet when he reurns from holiday...DTV.

 

[Ali2]

I'd just add the lysine back, I'm adding lysine to my horses diet:

http://shop.forageplus.com/epages/es137718.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es137718/Products/L9

 

[DTV]

Yes,that is the obvious solution now i know pure Lysine supplements are available.Thanks for that.DTV.

 

[bumblelion]

I really like the fastfibre, never tried the other though, sorry!

 

[Nari]

Would you be feeding enough of the Fast Fibre for him to get his full vit & min dose? I think you'll find you have to feed a lot for it to be comparable to the Equivite.

 

[Firewell]

You only have to feed 1k of FF to get the vits and mins 2/3rds of a stubs scoop dry.
OP why don't you get a mineral lick for the field/stable on top if your worried? Rockies do one and it's only £10 .

 

[Miss L Toe]

To me Fast Fibre is an excellent forage replacer, I thought Equivite was a min and vit supplement

 

[DTV]

Yes,indeed Equivite is a mineral and vitamin supplement,but Fastfibre is a vit and min enriched forage replacement.As such 1.5kg of Ff has the same quantity and variety of vits and mins as 50g of equivite(one daily dose).The only thing missing from the fastfibre is Lysine,Equivite contains 1g per 50g serving,hence the reason for the original post.DTV.

 

[DTV]

Oh,and he's had a mineral lick in the stable for ages,he'd rather have a snooze!Not tried one in the field though, his field partner would prob eat it whole,she's a bit greedy......!

 

[Miss L Toe]

A & P have a good advisory service.
I would find it easier to feed Fast Fibre as a basic diet for young and for resting horses.
The pony next door is an oldie, and he is on FF as he can't chew hay, [dental technician has tried his best], he is gaining weight [after seven weeks of tlc] and looking a bit happier.
Lysine is an amino acid which is low in conventional feeds like oats, but just because it is not an added ingredient does not mean it is missing in FF, A and P will advise you. The laws on labelling feedstuffs is complex and can be helpful, but not always.
I must admit I like to cover all the bases, and if horse needs a boost I feed a pet scoop of Mare and Youngstock in addition to his base diet, which tends to be Calm and Condition.
I would not feed lysine with selenium as selenium is one of the elements to avoid in excess.
http://www.vitaflex.com/res_lysinea.php ..... one science based comment, so has to be treated with caution.

 

[DTV]

Thanks for the information,I've already spoken to A&P and they were very helpful.FF only contains a trace element of Lysine present in other ingredients,it isn't added in it's own right.My reasons for swapping to FF are as you suggest,Chester has few working teeth left and i'm still trying to replace the weight he lost over the winter.The transition from Mollichaff will be complete by the end of the weekend and i shall be watching his progress closely.An added problem is that he has a Barley intolerance so my choice of alternatives is a little limited.Both Baileys and Dodson & Horrell do similar Barley free fibre cubes and Molli veteran is also an option.I shall prob try these in the future if the FF doesn't have the desired effect though i think a soaked cube mix will be better for him.(and he loves the FF, it smells very appealing).As regards the Lysine issue,i think the best option is to feed back a pure Lysine supplement as was suggested in a previous post.Regards,DTV.